Improvement in lock-nuts



Patented Nov. 21,1871.

SALEM T. LAMB.

Improvement in Lock Nuts.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SALEM T. LAMB, on NEW ALBANY, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT 1- IN LOCK-NUTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SALEM T. LAMIB, of New Albany, in the county of Floyd and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manner of Locking Nuts on Screw-Bolts; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part-of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents in a group the several modes I have devised of carrying out my invention, and Fig. 2 represents a section through the several difl'erent forms or modes of applying the locking mechanism to said nuts and bolts.

My invention consists in the combined use of a cap to fit over the nut to be locked, and a key, pin, or screw, applied from the exterior so as to pass through said cap, and through, into, or against the screw-bolt, and thus prevent the nut fl'om turning or working loose on the screw-bolt.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the several plans and modifications thereof which I have devised for applying and carrying out my invention.

Nuts for screw'bolts are commonly made foursided sometimes six or more sides are used, and thus caps of different forms are required to correspond thereto; But nuts and caps of the same general forms may be differently fastened to the bolts, and hence the necessity of illustrating the different changes or modifications of the same general plan.

In the accompanying drawing, A represents the screw-bolt; B, the nut; O, the cap; and D, the externally-applied key, pin, or bolt for look ing the cap to the bolt, and thereby locking the nut, which cannot turn except when the cap turns. The plans shown at a 1) cd efg h, all have the same general characteristicthat is to say, a cap, 0 furnished with holes or slots 1 2 3, &c., and fitting over the nut B, and secured by a pin or key, D, passing through the holes or slots of the cap, and through a hole, 1*, in the screw-bolt A. In the plans shown at a, b, and f, the pin or key can be inserted at every one-twenty-fourth of a turn of the nut or cap. 1n the other abovenamed plans, the pins or keys can be inserted at from one-eighth to one-sixteenth of a turn of the nut or cap, which is enough for all practical pur- Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,176, dated November 21, 1871.

poses. In the plans shown at i j k, the same general result is attained, the only difference between these and the plans first above mentioned being, that the keys D, instead of going through the bolts A, pass into a key-seat alongside of the bolt, as shown at s. In the plans shown at land m, the caps, nuts, and bolts are substantially the same, except that at l the nut is six-sided, and at m it is only four-sided, and the caps are made correspondingly six and four-sided. In these modifications, however, instead of a pin or key, a set-screw, D, is used, the point a of which will take in between the threads of the screw, and so prevent the nut from turning. In forming the point 10, a square shoulder, 12 is made, which leaves the bolt and screw of full size and strength, to take the thread in the cap. In the modifications shown at b d h, the cap is slotted at its under portion so that, when necessary, the corners of the nuts may project into or through said slots. In the plans shown at b d, the key can be inserted at every one-twenty-fourth of a turn of the nut,-while in that at h, it can be inserted at every one-eighth of a turn. Instead of slotting the caps they may be made of a starform, asseen at a and i, so that the corners of the nuts may take the rectangular projections thereon, and thus be susceptible of more changes of position of the cap and pin or key. The pin or key used may be of varied forms, and may be a single pin, or a split or spring-key, and when desired to make it permanent in the cap and nut, may be bent so that it cannot come out until straightened. The pin, key, or set-screw in all cases holds the cap to the screw-bolt, so that one cannot turn independent of the other and the cap in turn holds the nut so that it cannot turn independent of the bolt, and thus the three elements must move together or not at all, it being I impossible for one to turn without the others. When the nut has to be moved, the key, pin, or screw is backed out, the cap raised, (or in this condition the nut and cap can be moved together,) the nut adjusted, the cap replaced, and the fastening again put in. The height of the chamber in the cap which takes in the nut may be greater than the depth of the nut, but its sides, angles, or slots, should more snugly fit the sides, I angles, or corners of the nut. As a general thing the cap sets over the nut, but the nut may rest upon the bottom of the cap, so that said bottom portion will act as a washer. When this plan is used, then the cap and nut must turn together when adjusting the nut on the screw. The sorewD, or itspoint u, may be of hardened or tempered steel, so as not to readily give way; and, if found necessary or important to do so, a jamnut may be used on the screw D, to keep it from turning or becoming loose.

I have described this invention as applied to bolts only. It is equally applicable to axles, journals, straps, or any other article on which screws and nuts are used.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as a nut-lock is The combination of the bolt, nut, cap, and the key, pin, or screw, applied from the exterior, so as to hold the bolt, nut, or cap from turning or becoming loose, one upon the other, substantially as described.

SALEM T. LAMB.

EDMUND MASSON. (14) 

